What Was Ours
by ValandMarcelle
Summary: When they find the drawing, it is her chance to make sure he lives on. (Titanic AU/crossover)
1. Legacies

**Welcome to this episode of Marcelle Adds Sad Things To the Fandom: ****_Titanic_**** Edition! **

**Who even knew it was possible? But think about it: the movie and the musical have some similar elements, such as a poor boy named Jack who has a serious artistic talent and falls for a girl of a much higher social class. And once I realized this, it was impossible to avoid writing it. I'm hoping to combine some movie and musical elements in a way that doesn't totally copy the movie; in fact, this is the only part where I'm planning on taking dialogue from the movie (which doesn't belong to me in any way), and even then, I changed it up a little bit. I don't have an entirely clear direction for this yet, this is just kind of a trial run to see if it's worth persuing. **

**Enjoy!**

**-Marcelle**

* * *

It's startling, seeing her own face on the television. Her eyes, although drawn of charcoal, stare into her, as though trying to see past her now withered exterior to the woman she had once been. The woman that the picture has immortalized. The woman that they are now searching for.

Katherine Randell cannot take her eyes off of the screen for quite a few moments, her mind racing backwards to a collection of memories that she wants to hold close and let go of all at the same time. She had never expected to see that drawing again. The boy who had created it had taken such great care in his art, had somehow managed the capture the essence of what they had been in a single stroke of a pencil across paper. He had been a genius. No wonder the heavens wanted him back.

The reporter rambles on about the drawing, about where they had found it, about how they retrieved it. Katherine does not hear most of the newscast, but then, she does not need to. She had been there, she knows more about it than anyone else could possibly hope to. Katherine is the only one left who remembers him, and she is not sure if that is a blessing or a curse. It is most likely both.

Soon, the reporter is speaking to another man, the "treasure hunter" who has apparently found this missing piece of history and is doing everything he can to justify it's retrieval.

"...A piece of paper that's been underwater for eighty-four years…"

Eighty-four years. Is that really how long it's been? Katherine can still remember the color of his eyes.

"Should this have remained unseen at the bottom of the ocean for eternity, when we can see it and enjoy it now?"

No, Katherine decides in an instant. No, his work should be seen. He may have only drawn it for her, only intended it to be seen by her eyes, but he had not known then of the magnitude it now holds. This drawing of Katherine now is known to the world as a lost artifact, recovered and preserved as a reminder of a tragedy. And as if this does not hold enough meaning to the world as it is, it means even more to Katherine. It is the last piece of him she has left.

But soon, she will be gone, her bones have begun to warn her that it is almost time to join him. And when she is gone, he will fade into non-existence. He will join the ranks of the nameless. Is that what she wants?

Or does she want Jack Kelly to live on?

* * *

It doesn't take long to find the man in charge, really. His information is given at the end of the broadcast, and Olivia is able to find everything else through means that Katherine in her old age cannot even begin to comprehend. She really could not survive without her granddaughter, that much is clear.

Soon, Katherine presses the phone against her ear and waits through the several trills that mean a connection has been established, her heart fluttering faster than normal. This will be the first time in what feels like forever that she will openly speak about Jack, and to a complete stranger at that. But he is her only chance at keeping her love's memory alive, and that will only happen if she speaks of the diamond. That will grab the treasure hunter's attention for sure.

"This is Adam Finch, what can I do for you, Miss…?" his voice cuts into her thoughts, startling her by the poorly concealed impatience that he speaks with. "Miss Katherine Randell?"

"Well, Mr. Finch, I was just wondering if you'd had any luck finding the Heart of Santa Fe yet," Katherine can almost feel her journalistic instincts crawling back to her after all of these years, but she fights back the impulse. The time to weave her own tale is close enough.

The man is silent for a moment, and Katherine lets a satisfied smile spread across her face. The mention of the diamond seems to have stunned him, just as she has known it would. Men like him are easy to captivate, she's found, as long as there's something for them to gain.

"Alright, Katherine, I'm willing to listen. But answer me one thing-do you know who the woman in the picture is?" Mr. Finch inquires, and Katherine's smile widens. He will like her answer very much.

"Oh, yes," she exclaims quietly. "You're speaking to her."

_Or,_ Katherine thinks, _you're speaking to the woman she has become. They are not the same people anymore_.

Jack Kelly-and the Titanic itself-has changed her long ago.

* * *

**And thus begins the crossover! Don't forget to review!**


	2. Opportunities

**It is a sad for the fansies, isn't it? But I won't elaborate here...that is a subject for another tale. **

**Instead, let me clarify a bit about the way this story is set up. It's an AU, and in my version of events, the Titanic's course is reversed in the way that the ship leaves from New York and is supposed to go to Southampton rather than the other way around, and I did this so that I didn't have to move the newsies or Katherine to England and think of a way to have it make sense. Also, the newsies group at this point is just Jack and Crutchie, again for simplicity's sake. However, the other newsies will appear in later chapters. **

**Enjoy! **

**-Marcelle**

* * *

"Extra, extra! Titanic set ta make it's maiden voyage in one hour!" Jack Kelly hawks the headline with a certain distance that he manages to keep to himself. It's been the same story for days, even weeks- the RMS Titanic has practically taken over the entire city. He's gotten very accustomed to the facts surrounding the great ocean liner, from it's construction to it's massive size to it's claim to be unsinkable. And every word he hears of the Titanic fuels his desire to be aboard it even more.

Everyone is calling it the Ship of Dreams, and he hardly blames them. Just the sight of it makes his heart yearn for something more, for the chance of escape that the ship would provide him. It's destination is Southampton, England, a place that distance has made to seem almost imaginary. What kind of life could Jack have there? Certainly a much different one than he is leading now-perhaps even one that he would be able to find some pleasure in.

"Hey Jack, whatcha thinkin' about?"

There are only a few aspects of being a newsie that make the job worth it, Jack muses. One of them approaches him this very instant, the ever-present smile blooming on his face as he looks up at Jack. Crutchie is practically his only family, his little brother in every bond other than blood.

They've been together through it all, inseperable for as long as either of them can remember, and Jack knows with the utmost certainty that the younger boy would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked. If he were to ever go anywhere else but New York, at least he knows that he would not be alone.

"Ah, this dumb ship," Jack laughs dryly, thanking a customer as he exchanges a paper for a nickel. "It's all ya ever hear about anymore, huh?"

"That's 'cause it's the best ocean liner they got out there!" Crutchie chirps excitedly, his face lighting up at the thought of the enormous ship. "Nothin' in the world could ever sink it!"

"Well, that's what they'se is sayin', alright," Jack sighs in reply. Quite honestly, it doesn't particularly matter to him if the ship is nothing more than a couple of logs tied together with some twine, as long as it could take him away from New York. The city always has a cramped feel to it, as though it were stuck between two walls that were continuously moving closer together, with no purpose other than to crush him.

The tactic seems to be working, and Jack isn't sure just how much longer he can stick it out. Crutchie and his condition are really the only reason he's managed to stay put as long as he has-a gimp leg can't take a person too far, and neither of them are in any place to afford a train ticket.

"Whaddya think it'd be like ta be on that ship, Jack?" Crutchie asks, although seeming too lost in his own fantasies to hear any answer Jack may give. But he smiles at the disabled boy nonetheless, drawing him into a side embrace as he pictures a skyline that is not obscured by towering buildings.

"I don't know, Crutch," Jack admits softly. "I really don't know." And he doesn't. But more than anything, he wants to find out.

They continue farther down the street, calling out the Titanic-centered headlines and making consequently more money than they are accustomed to. It seems as though everyone wants a copy of the paper today, most likely due to the historical nature of it. Everyone wants to remember the day the Titanic began it's sure to be legendary voyage, and what better momento than a newspaper?

Jack is of course grateful for the extra cash; maybe he can actually afford some bread from the bakery today. Crutchie has been looking a bit too thin lately.

"Well, there has to be somebody who will take them!" a voice suddenly breaks into his thoughts, sounding from across the road. A young couple is standing outside of their home, looking to be in a debate about something. The smiles lingering on both of their faces suggest that it isn't a particularly heated topic, but the woman's arms are firmly crossed all the same.

"You want to just give them away?" her husband inquires, sounding almost amazed by the idea of simply handing over whatever item was once important to them. His wife merely shrugs, her grin growing broader as Jack's interest is peaked.

"I...I suppose so. Titanic can wait, John. Our baby can't," she points out, placing a hand on her slighty bloated stomach. The pieces begin to click into place for Jack at their words, and he quickly crosses the street despite the questions from Crutchie that follow him. A sudden feeling has overtaken him, a strange intuition which tells him that this is his only chance. He can get away.

"Uh, excuse me, but I thought I overheard somethin' about the Titanic...could I interest you in today's headline? Of course, ya probably already know it..." He smiles sheepishly as the couple exchanges a glance, hoping against hope that he hasn't misread what he has heard.

"I should think so...we were supposed to be boarding today," the man sighs as his wife rolls her eyes, and Jack feels his chances begin to lift up off the ground.

"Supposed to be? Why ain'tcha now?" he presses, raising his eyebrows and feigning curiousity. Perhaps he should have been an actor.

"Well it's...it's the baby," The woman's eyes flicker down to her stomach and then back up at Jack, who's mouth forms an impulsive 'o' of understanding. "Our doctor says everything is going well, but he doesn't think we should risk the trip...really, I think he's right, but John says that-"

"Enough, Elaine," John cuts her off with a laugh, shaking his head almost apologetically. "I'm sure the boy doesn't want to know all the gory details."

"Ah, but the gory details are my buisness," Jack assures them, gesturing to his almost empty newspaper bag. "But, uh, if ya don't mind my askin'...what're ya gonna do with the tickets if you're not usin' them?"

It takes less than a second for a grin to spread across Elaine's face at the question, and she excitedly turns to her husband. Jack notices that he seems significantly less thrilled at the suggestion they all clearly know is about to be proposed, but he visibly relents, shrugging his shoulders almost indifferently.

He reaches in his pocket, digging around for a moment before pulling out two slightly crumpled pieces of paper, the bold print at the top indentifying them as tickets to board none other than the White Star Line's own personal masterpiece: Titanic. And then, Elaine is saying the words that Jack knows will irrevocably change his life, for good or for bad.

"Would you like them?"

Jack's heartbeat quickens, and he's almost convinced that John and Elaine can hear it almost as clearly as he can. He takes a moment to compose himself before reaching out his hand, taking the tickets from John and hoping the man doesn't catch the way his fingers tremble with excitement. He'd never thought it would happen, he'd never imagined the chance would ever find it's way to him.

Luck has never favored him, in fact the only decent kindness it's ever showed him is Crutchie. But perhaps Jack has done something to redeem himself, something that made luck change it's mind about him. Either way, he doesn't want to question it now, not when his narrow future has suddenly expanded to allow a flood of new possibilities.

"Oh...Thank you, thank you folks a million times over!" Jack's gratitude rushes out of him in a burst of happiness, and he clutches the tickets in his hand as though to keep them from somehow fading away. He grabs John's hand again, shaking it with all the enthusiasm he has as Elaine watches them, beaming. It still almost feels like a dream, one that Jack never wants to wake up from.

"Hey Jack, what happened?" A shout travels from across the street, and he turns to see Crutchie standing just where Jack had left him, utter confusion written across his features. The older newsie flashes him a smile before turning back to John and Elaine.

"That's my friend, I gotta go. But...thank you. I don't know how I could ever repay you'se..." He trails off, his voice seeming to be failing him as his mind works faster than his mouth, still attempting to comprehend just what is happening.

"Don't even consider it," Elaine insists, glancing at Crutchie for a moment. "We're happy to do it."

"Just...use them wisely," John adds, his words seeming to carrying an underlying meaning, as though he somehow sees into Jack's mind. As though he wants to make sure Jack will use this gift he's been given to turn his life around.

"I will," Jack reassures him, giving them a final nod before heading back across the street that he had just crossed not five minutes ago. Five minutes ago, when he had nothing, when dreams were nothing more than words.

"Jack, what-"

"Ah, Crutch, we hit the jackpot!" Jack practically cheers, brandishing the tickets in front of his young friend, barely able to control his own joy. "You know what these are?"

"Uh, they look like tickets..." Crutchie stammers, a flustered look coming over him at the sudden energy Jack has developed.

"They'se more than just tickets, kid! These are gonna change our lives!" the older boy exclaims, somehow managing to calm himself for a moment to give Crutchie the full extent of his news. "We're goin' on the Titanic. We're gonna be on the Ship of Dreams."

* * *

**The next chapter will again be from Jack's point of view, and will feature some other newsies! Don't forget to review! **


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